1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for feeding sheets, one by one, to an automatic photographic processor, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sheet feeding device is used to take out sheets such as photographic light-sensitive mediums after an image has been exposed thereon, one by one, to feed to an automatic photographic processor.
In a conventional sheet feeding device, a stack of sheets is loaded in a magazine or a sheet placement unit from a sheet loading opening. Thereafter, an uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets is attracted under suction by a suction cup or pad (sheet separating means) to remove the sheet from the sheet placement unit. Then, the uppermost sheet is delivered to a sheet discharge port by a delivering means, and a shutter for opening and closing the sheet discharge port is opened, the uppermost sheet being transported toward the automatic photographic processor from the sheet discharge port.
While the stacked sheets are being fed one by one to the automatic photographic processor by the sheet feeding device, there are often cases where development of another sheet other than the stacked sheets is urgently required by the automatic photographic processor or where the sheet feeding device fails. In such cases, the conventional sheet feeding device is disengaged from the automatic photographic processor, and the sheet is manually inserted into the automatic photographic processor. Alternatively, the delivering means in the sheet feeding device is manually operated to feed sheets one by one to the automatic photographic processor.
In the conventional apparatus referred to above, however, a process for disengaging the sheet feeding device from the automatic photographic processor or a process for manually operating the delivering means is extremely cumbersome, and the entire sheet feeding process cannot efficiently be carried out.
In addition, failure in a mechanism for opening and closing the shutter may make it impossible to feed sheets one by one to the automatic photographic processor.
Further, when the sheet feeding device is activated, a cover for opening and closing the sheet loading opening is opened for loading the stacked sheets in the device. The cover is then closed so as to be light-tight and thereafter an operation switch is actuated to start the device. Thus, the operation of the device, as described above, is cumbersome and complicated.
When a new sheet stack is introduced from a sheet loading opening, after a residual quantity of stacked sheets is depleted, and the sheet feeding device is operated again, or, when malfunctions of the sheet separating means such as clogging of sheets or double sheet feeding occur, all of the sheets must be removed and the sheet feeding device re-actuated. In this case, the same processes as described above are required, which results in cumbersome operation of the sheet feeding device.